I attended 3 different schools in my four years of high school. Although this is far from an ideal situation, I made the best of it and have fond memories of my high school years. One experience that definitely shaped my academic life was my freshman math class. It was a top level class, however, the math that was covered in this class was the same that I had just completed in 8th grade at another school system. The class did not challenge me and I was very bored. A good friend of mine sat in front of me in class. She struggled to understand the material and consistently got D’s.
One day in class, we had the opportunity to team up. My friend was very frustrated and embarrassed at not knowing how to do the assignment. I remember telling her it was just like a puzzle and explaining how to do the math. It took awhile, but she got it! I felt very proud that I was able to teach her the math in a way that she would understand. For the rest of the year, my friend would rely on my help to understand the latest math lessons. This experience has always stayed with me. I loved the feeling of making someone else feel good about learning.
My most influential teacher was my sophomore English teacher. I never liked writing but I thought I was doing fine in her class. I was surprised when this teacher asked me to meet her in the library one day. I had never been asked to meet a teacher outside of class and, it was her lunch time. She explained to me that my writing was not structured properly. She was familiar with the school system that I came from and said that they did not do a good job teaching proper writing techniques. She took the time to explain to me the correct way to write. This was probably the most important half hour of my high school career! I just needed a few pointers to get me going down the right path. From that point on, writing was easier for me and I got to the point where I actually enjoyed it. This teacher successfully identified a student weakness and took steps to correct the problem. Teachers have to be creative, dedicated, and work hard to maximize student capabilities. She exemplified dedication and I am very grateful.
I attended 3 different schools in my four years of high school. Although this is far from an ideal situation, I made the best of it and have fond memories of my high school years. One experience that definitely shaped my academic life was my freshman math class. It was a top level class, however, the math that was covered in this class was the same that I had just completed in 8th grade at another school system. The class did not challenge me and I was very bored. A good friend of mine sat in front of me in class. She struggled to understand the material and consistently got D’s.
One day in class, we had the opportunity to team up. My friend was very frustrated and embarrassed at not knowing how to do the assignment. I remember telling her it was just like a puzzle and explaining how to do the math. It took awhile, but she got it! I felt very proud that I was able to teach her the math in a way that she would understand. For the rest of the year, my friend would rely on my help to understand the latest math lessons. This experience has always stayed with me. I loved the feeling of making someone else feel good about learning.
My most influential teacher was my sophomore English teacher. I never liked writing but I thought I was doing fine in her class. I was surprised when this teacher asked me to meet her in the library one day. I had never been asked to meet a teacher outside of class and, it was her lunch time. She explained to me that my writing was not structured properly. She was familiar with the school system that I came from and said that they did not do a good job teaching proper writing techniques. She took the time to explain to me the correct way to write. This was probably the most important half hour of my high school career! I just needed a few pointers to get me going down the right path. From that point on, writing was easier for me and I got to the point where I actually enjoyed it. This teacher successfully identified a student weakness and took steps to correct the problem. Teachers have to be creative, dedicated, and work hard to maximize student capabilities. She exemplified dedication and I am very grateful.